Eames Ea222
1990s American Mid-Century Modern Lounge Chairs
Aluminum
Vintage 1960s German Mid-Century Modern Lounge Chairs
Aluminum, Chrome
Late 20th Century German Mid-Century Modern Lounge Chairs
Metal, Chrome
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21st Century and Contemporary Portuguese Modern Benches
Fabric, Velvet, Lacquer, Wood
Vintage 1970s American Mid-Century Modern Lounge Chairs
Naugahyde, Walnut, Bentwood
21st Century and Contemporary American Mid-Century Modern Chairs
Aluminum
Early 2000s American Office Chairs and Desk Chairs
Aluminum
Vintage 1980s American Mid-Century Modern Office Chairs and Desk Chairs
Aluminum
Mid-20th Century American Mid-Century Modern Dining Room Chairs
Plywood
Mid-20th Century American Mid-Century Modern Swivel Chairs
Aluminum
Vintage 1960s American Mid-Century Modern Office Chairs and Desk Chairs
Leather
Mid-20th Century American Mid-Century Modern Lounge Chairs
Steel, Zinc
Early 2000s American Mid-Century Modern Office Chairs and Desk Chairs
Aluminum, Steel
Mid-20th Century American Mid-Century Modern Office Chairs and Desk Chairs
Aluminum
Mid-20th Century American Mid-Century Modern Office Chairs and Desk Chairs
Aluminum
21st Century and Contemporary Danish Mid-Century Modern Floor Mirrors an...
Brass
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Post-Modern Chaise Longues
Chrome
Vintage 1950s American Modern Lounge Chairs
Metal
Vintage 1960s Sofas
Iron
Recent Sales
Vintage 1960s German Mid-Century Modern Lounge Chairs
Vintage 1960s German Mid-Century Modern Armchairs
Vintage 1960s German Mid-Century Modern Lounge Chairs
Mid-20th Century American Mid-Century Modern Lounge Chairs
Aluminum
2010s German Lounge Chairs
Aluminum
Vintage 1960s German Mid-Century Modern Lounge Chairs
Chrome
1990s English Modern Armchairs
Chrome
Mid-20th Century German Mid-Century Modern Lounge Chairs
Aluminum
Vintage 1960s American Mid-Century Modern Lounge Chairs
Chrome, Steel
Vintage 1960s American Lounge Chairs
Chrome
Charles and Ray Eames for sale on 1stDibs
Charles Eames and Ray Eames were the embodiment of the inventiveness, energy and optimism at the heart of mid-century modern American design, and have been recognized as the most influential designers of the 20th century.
As furniture designers, filmmakers, artists, textile and graphic designers and even toy and puzzle makers, the Eameses were a visionary and effective force for the notion that design should be an agent of positive change. They are the happy, ever-curious, ever-adventurous faces of modernism.
Charles (1907–78) studied architecture and industrial design. Ray (née Beatrice Alexandra Kaiser, 1912–88) was an artist, who studied under the Abstract Expressionist painter Hans Hofmann. They met in 1940 at the Cranbrook Academy of Art in suburban Detroit (the legendary institution where Charles also met his frequent collaborator Eero Saarinen and the artist and designer Harry Bertoia) and married the next year.
His technical skills and her artistic flair were wonderfully complementary. They moved to Los Angeles in 1941, where Charles worked on set design for MGM. In the evenings at their apartment, they experimented with molded plywood using a handmade heat-and-pressurization device they called the “Kazam!” machine. The next year, they won a contract from the U.S. Navy for lightweight plywood leg splints for wounded servicemen — they are coveted collectibles today; more so those that Ray used to make sculptures.
The Navy contract allowed Charles to open a professional studio, and the attention-grabbing plywood furniture the firm produced prompted George Nelson, the director of design of the furniture-maker Herman Miller Inc., to enlist Charles and (by association, if not by contract) Ray in 1946. Some of the first Eames items to emerge from Herman Miller are now classics: the LCW, or Lounge Chair Wood, and the DCM, or Dining Chair Metal, supported by tubular steel.
The Eameses eagerly embraced new technology and materials, and one of their peculiar talents was to imbue their supremely modern design with references to folk traditions. Their Wire chair group of the 1950s, for example, was inspired by basket weaving techniques. The populist notion of “good design for all” drove their molded fiberglass chair series that same decade, and also produced the organic-form, ever-delightful La Chaise. In 1956 the Eames lounge chair and ottoman appeared — the supremely comfortable plywood-base-and-leather-upholstery creation that will likely live in homes as long as there are people with good taste and sense.
Charles Eames once said, “The role of the designer is that of a very good, thoughtful host anticipating the needs of his guests.” For very good collectors and thoughtful interior designers, a piece of design by the Eameses, the closer produced to original conception the better, is almost de rigueur — for its beauty and comfort, and not least as a tribute to the creative legacy and enduring influence of Charles and Ray Eames.
The collection of original Eames furniture on 1stDibs includes chairs, tables, case pieces and other items.
Finding the Right lounge-chairs for You
While this specific seating is known to all for its comfort and familiar form, the history of how your favorite antique or vintage lounge chair came to be is slightly more ambiguous.
Although there are rare armchairs dating back as far as the 17th century, some believe that the origins of the first official “lounge chair” are tied to Hungarian modernist designer-architect Marcel Breuer. Sure, Breuer wasn’t exactly reinventing the wheel when he introduced the Wassily lounge chair in 1925, but his seat was indeed revolutionary for its integration of bent tubular steel.
Officially, a lounge chair is simply defined as a “comfortable armchair,” which allows for the shape and material of the furnishings to be extremely diverse. Whether or not chaise longues make the cut for this category is a matter of frequent debate.
The Eames lounge chair, on the other hand, has come to define somewhat of a universal perception of what a lounge chair can be. Introduced in 1956, the Eames lounger (and its partner in cozy, the ottoman) quickly became staples in television shows, prestigious office buildings and sumptuous living rooms. Venerable American mid-century modern designers Charles and Ray Eames intended for it to be the peak of luxury, which they knew meant taking furniture to the next level of style and comfort. Their chair inspired many modern interpretations of the lounge — as well as numerous copies.
On 1stDibs, find a broad range of unique lounge chairs that includes everything from antique Victorian-era seating to vintage mid-century modern lounge chairs by craftspersons such as Hans Wegner to contemporary choices from today’s innovative designers.
- 1stDibs ExpertApril 5, 2022Charles and Ray Eames have been recognized as the 20th century’s most influential designers and are best known for their highly recognizable chairs. The Eames lounge chair and ottoman are an iconic duo in modern-styled furniture, and some of the first Eames items to emerge from Herman Miller are now classics: the LCW, or Lounge Chair Wood, and the DCM, or Dining Chair Metal, supported by tubular steel. Find vintage Charles and Ray Eames furniture on 1stDibs.